The Dark & Happy Times album is Shifah Musisi’s second studio album after “Olugendo”. The album explores the key aspects of life like love, family, and friendships, among others. It also explores the trials and tribulations of life from Shifah’s perspective.
The album which will be officially released later this year has songs like Tondekangawo, Taata, Webale, Emirembe, Kusema, Munsi Eno (feat. Charmant Mushaga), Mutulo, and Ebilowozo.
Some of the greatest musical minds in terms of audio production, songwriting, and video production including Michael Fingaz, Loukman Ali, and Bob Dickson combined efforts to create magic on this album.
“While we sleep, we get a chance to exist in our own perfect little worlds.”
Shifah Musisi
We take a look at the different songs on the album and the message embedded in their respective lyrics:
Taata
Taata is a Luganda word that translates as “Father”. It is a song for the fathers. They say the bond that fathers forge with their daughters is unbreakable and in this amazing song, Shifah Musisi explores the unbreakable bond that she shares with her dad. She declares that the strength of this bond will always supersede any other she can ever form with anyone else.
Emirembe
Translated to English, “Emirembe” means “Peace”. It is a song about the peace that comes from being loved by the right people. In the song, Shifah Musisi speaks about how sometimes someone comes into your life and wipes away your tears, giving you immeasurable peace in the process, and how thankful we should be for such people.
Kusema
Musisi spreads her lyrical wings and sings in Swahili in Kusema. “Kusema” means “to speak” in Swahili. In the song, the songstress beckons her imaginary lover to say something and calm her anxious heart. The song is one of the headline songs about love on The Dark & Happy Times album.
Munsi Eno (feat. Charamant Mushaga)
Celebrated Ugandan guitarist and vocalist Charmant Mushaga features on “Munsi Eno”. The song speaks about the relationships we forge in this world that go on to become pivotal in our lives.
Friendship is a key component of human life and once we meet friends who are there for us through thick and thin, we should hold on them forever.
Shifah Musisi
Mutulo
“Sleep is one of the most beautiful things in the world,” Shifah Musisi hints. “Part of that is because while we sleep, we get a chance to exist in our own perfect little worlds,” the jolly singer adds.
In the song, Shifah Musisi offers the listener a sneak peek into the perfect world that only exists in her sleep. She sings of a world where there is no pain, anger, hate, sickness, or suffering – a world of love, peaceful co-existence between man and beast, and untold beauty.
Tondekangawo
Tondekangawo which translates as “Never leave me” is a call to our friends to stick by us no matter how rocky the road of life gets. It is a song to listen to with your friend. Granted, disagreements and fights happen in all relationships but we choose to look on the beautiful side and choose forgiveness. We can weather any storm and be friends for life.
Webale
Webale is a thank you song. We all have someone or something to be thankful for on this earth. In this beautiful song, Shifah sings about being thankful for those people that are there for us, the ones who teach us, fix us and make our dreams come true. Sometimes, all these people need a simple “thank you!”
Ebilowozo
This one is a personal favorite. “Ebilowozo” literally translates as “thoughts”. The song speaks about the pain we feel when the people we deeply care about leave our lives for one reason or another and all we are left with are the thoughts and memories while we reminisce about the good times shared in times gone by.
The Dark and Happy Times is available on online music streaming sites!
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